Paper based packaging materials are frequently utilized for containing and/or transporting a wide range of consumer goods. The paper based nature of these packaging materials results in products that are relatively lightweight, inexpensive, reasonably sturdy and can be easily disposed of and/or recycled. Many of these packaging materials are produced in a flat format and can be folded to create a container. However, there are a number of disadvantages to foldable paper packaging. Any paper material that is pliable enough for easy folding is usually not strong enough to withstand substantial weight or pressure. Further, many paper packaging products are incapable of containing liquids given the risk of degradation to the paper material upon extended liquid contact or the risks associated with paper's propensity for tearing. Paper packaging also tends to be imprecise in adjusting to fit a range of product sizes such that additional packing materials and/or lids are required to ensure that a product is maintained within the packaging.
To facilitate folding, many foldable paper packages will employ gussets to help define corners. Historically, the approach has been to locate all of the gussets on an external part of the package. In some instances such external gusset structures have the potential to detract from the aesthetic appeal of the container. They also provide a structure that has a relatively large potential to snag against an object when moved and cause disassembly to occur. Having all gussets as external gussets further has the potential to attract and accumulate externally visible dust or other matter when stored over extended periods.
Like external gussets, external locking tabs also have the potential to detract from the usefulness of a packaging that incorporates them. Such locking tabs usually have a bulbous portion that forms an interfering fit with an opposing wall via a slot in the wall. The bulbous portion often projects hook-like from a neck portion that tends to be weak under stress and may be easily torn. External structural features such as on all external gusset structures and locking tabs further make printing or imparting any graphic design to the external surface difficult.
It is also common that paper based packaging products are shaped in a way that renders them un-stackable in folded format. Further, many paper based containers include an integrated lid for maintaining contents within the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,121 discloses a foldable packaging product purporting to have a leak proof corner construction to act as a temporary cooler for carrying food products. The paperboard cooler includes externally visible locking tabs and no mechanism for maintaining a product securely within the cooler, other than an integrated lid portion. Further, as the drawings depict, the corner gussets are folded on the exterior of the cooler to prevent food and other contents from slipping between folds and possibly contaminating the cooler.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,265 discloses a foldable packaging purporting to be leak-proof. However, the packaging includes gussets that are folded along the exterior surface of the packaging (as shown in the drawings) and an integrated attached closure structure. Further, the box contains no mechanism for maintaining any items within the packaging, other than a standard integrated lid. The packaging is intended for food shipment.
Paper based foldable packaging solutions may be designed to house one or more specific articles of a known size. This may be acceptable for applications in which the contents are of a standardized size and/or geometry. However, for containing some items, use of these is impractical, due to wide variations in content configuration. For example, in the packaging and sale of horticulture products, such as potted plants, floral arrangements or other bouquet arrangements, additional considerations are raised. First, the arrangements tend to be carried in a pot which may often be an unadorned or mundane shaped plastic container. Such containers come from a wide range of sources and the industry is not standardized. As a result, pots are manufactured in an untold number of varying heights, diameters, or other sizes.
Accordingly, in view of the above, there exists a need for product packaging which overcomes some or all of the above drawbacks in the art. For example, there is a need for a packaging that includes an attractive exterior surface which may contain no externally visible folds, tabs, or other structural features. There is also a need for a product packaging that can contain an article without an integrally attached lid. There is a further need for packaging that can maintain contact with liquids for extended periods of time without material degradation or leaking.